‘Matir Projar Deshe: Kingdom of Clay Subjects’ premieres on Friday

Ten-year-old Jamal’s idyllic life with his mother in rural Bangladesh takes an unexpected turn when his childhood friend and playmate is forced to become a child bride. That’s the premise of the acclaimed film ‘Matir Projar Deshe: Kingdom of Clay Subjects,’ which will be released in theatres in Bangladesh tomorrow. Director Bijon talked to Showtime’s Sadia Khalid about his journey with this film and what lies ahead.“Matir Projar Deshe” did really well in international film festivals. We started from Seattle. It’s a huge festival. The screenings were houseful. There were about 300 people in each screening. Because it’s such a huge festival, it’s hard to get noticed. I think we got the most attention when we went to Chicago South Asian Film Festival. That’s where we won Best Film. All of a sudden, we came under the radar of a lot of people. I think that’s where we made our mark and people became curious. Showing the film in different places and different festivals, people mostly liked the film. Their reactions were similar.After getting that much attention at Chicago South Asian Film Festival, where did you take your film next?It was our second festival. We competed with a lot of good Indian movies. A lot of people noticed. All of a sudden they know your face. We went to Film Bazaar in Goa, it’s a market of 400-500 films. It’s the only South Asian film market. They select 20 films for the “Recommends” section. You get to pitch in front of a crowd of programmers, distributors etc. In the catalogue, where all the 400 films get one page each, the films in the “Recommends” section get two pages. You get a lot of attention. I think festivals are all about your next film.How so?People are curious to see more of your work now. Once you have your world premiere, a lot of big festivals can’t do anything for you anyway. We made a list of 10 festivals, we got into 2. We didn’t get into 8. We had to pick one among those two. At that point I feel like it’s all about your next film and making connections with the type of people you want to work with. I don’t think pitching is a competition. It’s more like dating. You’re trying to find the right partner for the job.Any new film in the pipeline?Yes. We made two documentaries with NHK. I’m writing my next one. NHK already screened the version we made for them. When you work with NHK, the filmmakers always have the right to make their own version. We also made a documentary in Saint Martin. The population there is around 6000. They’re all Muslim. There’s only one Hindu family there. So this documentary is anthropological.How did you discover this family?Arif (Arifur Rahman, producer of “Matir Projar Deshe”) and I always look for stories. We read newspapers, we travel and talk to people. It’s a part of our routine. As soon as one project is done, we dedicate time and money to find the next one.We didn’t see much marketing/promotions for “Matir Projar Deshe.” Was that intentional?There are no “distributors” in Bangladesh; distributor, meaning someone who’ll also do the marketing of the film. In Bangladesh, the filmmaker has to do the marketing himself or herself. That’s absurd. We don’t have the money to do the marketing. Films like ours don’t get sponsors. They don’t even do any research that there’s this type of audience for this type of movie. They have no idea about the cinema market and how it works. So we decided we’re going to do it ourselves. It doesn’t matter because the real purpose for us is not to create a blockbuster film. We know our audience and hopefully word of mouth will do it. Also, there are different layers of film marketing; theatre is just one of them. The purpose of the release is to make a connection with the audience that we know is there. If we can connect with them, we’re happy.In which theatres will your film be released in?Our film is being released in three theatres- Jamuna, Bashundhara and Rajshahi “Upohar” cinema hall. Rajshahi, because we shot there for 3 years. So it’s our moral responsibility.Are you coming to the premiere this Friday?Most probably not. It’s really tough for us. I don’t think me being there will increase any audience. I don’t have the intention of being a celebrity. I just want to concentrate on my work.Are the stars of your film like Jayanto Chattopaddhay and Rokeya Prachi attending the premiere?I believe they are. Arif is handling all those. If he needs any suggestions from me, I talk to him about it. But we kind of divide our roles. The creative decisions like the posters and songs, I deal with them, but regarding the premiere, release and marketing, Arif is handling those.The name of your production company is Goopy Bagha. Is there an influence of Satyajit Ray in your film?Well. I think my style is quite different. But I became a filmmaker because of him. Of course certain elements will automatically come. You’re automatically influenced by the films you watch. I’m not sure exactly where the influence is in the movie. I’m sure it’s there, because that’s my identity. I grew up watching his films.You made the film over a period of five years. Didn’t the child actors grow up visibly during this time?We shot in three lots. Ten days in the first year, then ten days in the second and another ten days in the third year of shooting. There’s a time jump between the first and the second act. So, it kind of worked out that way. We were hoping that he’ll grow up a little more. If you really pay attention, you’ll see he’s taller and his face is bigger. But he kind of stayed the same. Now he has grown up quite a bit. Now people might not recognize him from the film.Arko Mukherjee and Satyaki Banerjee made a song for your film on their own. How often does that happen?The type of movies we make, we get that a lot. Because when you don’t have funding, you want people who sort of love the work you do. You find them because you gravitate towards them, in my view. If you look at a studio model of filmmaking, you will not find that. But, when we’re doing it ourselves, like Arif and I, we now can execute a feature film from start to finish. We know every step. You need people who understand the work you do and who’ll be encouraged by you. I’m not saying it’s very common. There are people who inspire you and vice versa and somehow in the path that you’re taking, you’ll meet them.What are you doing in Los Angeles now?For the last five years, Arif and I concentrated on the Goopy Bagha productions. We worked in Bangladesh and Japan and didn’t really get the chance to focus on LA. Now our company is on its own feet. Now we’re planning on opening a company here and we want to expand. So we’re concentrating on that and developing ideas that’s been cooking in me.Will you be promoting Bangla films in LA?Not necessarily. I think I’ll write in English as well. My movies will be in Bangla. I have two scripts right now that I want to make. I don’t think in terms of Bangla movie and English movie. It’s the same process for me… We’re contemplators. Whatever inspires us, we’ll do it, no matter English, Bangla or any other language.What are the prospects for a Bangladeshi filmmaker in there LA?I think if you think of yourself as a Bangladeshi filmmaker, you shoot yourself on the foot. You just have to be really good at storytelling. Only that will matter. Of course as a Bangladeshi, we get some benefits. Let’s not forget that. How do we get benefits? Because from my country, very few people are doing it (making films). So, right now, especially when everybody’s trying to be politically correct. Everyone’s trying to be inclusive. We get some benefit because of that. But at the end of the day, the benefit will only count if you really become good at what you do. I just want to concentrate on my work. If I’m smart enough to know how to promote it, I think that work will find its way, you know. But obviously it’s a very, very tough business without any doubt. But being a Bangladeshi to me was really beneficial to be honest.How was being Bangladeshi in LA beneficial in your case?Because I’m a Bangladeshi, I could make a low budget film look like a high-production-value one. If I spent the same amount of money in LA, I couldn’t achieve anything. The film would never look as good. In Bangladesh, I’m shooting at the real locations… I don’t need a huge crane to make it beautiful. There are so many places in Bangladesh where I can just hold the camera and work with the story. My friends who graduated with me and are working in my line of work, many are working for studios and doing great financially. But I think in the path I took, being a Bangladeshi benefitted me a lot, way more than my American friends.Are you planning on making any big studio films apart from the indie ones you’re making right now?If you talk about America, I’m interested in TV productions. I would love to create shows. I won’t direct necessarily. I really want to write and make TV shows. But I want to keep my independent film making separate from that. Even if I have full financing, I can’t make a film in less than three years. I’m not made in that cloth. I’m not saying it’s good or bad. Some people’s minds work faster, mine doesn’t. Like if I write a film, it’ll take me a year to write the script. It’ll take me another year to shoot it and then it’ll take another year to market it. So, that’ll always be the process.What’s your advice for non-resident Bangladeshi filmmakers?In America, you have to forget about emotions. You have to be very pragmatic about your work. You have to know what’s good and what’s not. I think when people start out, we go through a problem: is it good enough for people to watch it or not? That understanding takes a lot of time. If I look at my (early) short films now, they’re not good enough to watch. When I was making those, I was thinking people should watch it. I think that’s a long process to understand. Being a Bangladeshi, the odds are stacked up against you. People won’t let you adjust. But there are many benefits as well of being a Bangladeshi. So, it balances it out. My suggestion is one thing, don’t look for a goal, be good at what you do and enjoy the journey. That was the thing with my festival journey; it doesn’t work if you make a film for a festival. Make the movie for the sake of the movie and the movie will find its path. Of course you have to know the business and how to network, that’s a given. I’m going through the same process. We Bangladeshis are very proud people and cocky people. Sometimes we don’t understand the difference between confidence and arrogance and I’m a part of that. I’m not different; I’m not claiming that I am. I’m slowly realizing what arrogance is and what confidence is. I think arrogance means that you know you’re good. Confidence is you know you’re good and you’re making improvements every single second. So that’s my suggestion. Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it and get better at it every single second. Then people will gravitate towards you.Showtime's Syeda Farzana Rumpa talks to producer Arifur Rahman and lead Mahmudur Anindo of the internationally acclaimed film ‘Matir Projar Deshe: Kingdom of Clay Subjects,’ just prior to its release in Bangladeshi theatres